


i choose you

by LoveWithAGirl



Category: UnDeadwood (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, M/M, UnDeadwood Mini-series (Critical Role), Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:21:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21687493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveWithAGirl/pseuds/LoveWithAGirl
Summary: They get married in the spring.
Relationships: Reverend Matthew Mason/Clayton Sharpe
Comments: 12
Kudos: 37





	i choose you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [redhoods](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redhoods/gifts).



> I'm soft and yearning and couldn't help it. I wrote this for you.

They get married in the spring.

They get married in the spring, in the backyard of their best friends’ house, and Clayton’s never been happier in his entire life.

Matthew walks first, on the arm of his mother, and even though Miriam and Arabella insisted they weren’t supposed to see each other, Clayton peeks around the corner of the house to see the strong shoulders and clean lines of his white suit walking down the little aisle created by the few chairs they’d set up.

“Daddy,” and little fingers tug on his sleeve, “Aunty Miriam n’ Aunty Bella said you’re not supposed to see Dad yet.” 

Clayton looks down into big blue eyes and the smile on his face gets impossibly bigger; he crouches down and kisses their daughter on the forehead, tucking a blond curl behind her ear before standing back up and offering his hand.

“I know. You know I can’t help it, though. Now, you remember when it’s our turn?” She nods and grabs his hand with her free one, the other clutching her bouquet of daisies from their garden back at home, and grins up at him, front teeth missing and all, and Clayton finds himself swallowing around a sudden lump in his throat.

“When the music changes to your song-wait! That’s it! C’mon, c’mon, that’s for us!” She tries to pull him, fingers squeezing tight, and Clayton lets her with a laugh, also too eager to remind her about the slow steps they’re supposed to be taking. They come around the side, and Clayton takes it all in like a big picture for a split second-

Arabella and Miriam across from each other, beaming down the aisle at him, in pale blue dresses that don’t match but compliment each of them; Aloysius, standing at the end of the aisle, grinning like the bastard he is in the only suit he owns and holding out a handkerchief to Matthew; Matthew, who has a trembling smile on his face and tears already gathered at the corners of his eyes, Matthew whose eyes are darting back and forth between Clayton and Genevieve as she leads him down the aisle, waving her bouquet at him, Matthew, who has a daisy in his lapel that matches their daughter’s bouquet and the one Clayton is also wearing, Matthew, who drops to a knee to scoop Genevieve into a big hug the second they’re close enough, white tulle bunching under his arms.

Clayton makes sure his daughter isn’t looking and then flips Aloysius off as a tear slides down his cheek and his friend starts laughing. Matthew stands after a moment, lifting Genevieve easily in one arm, and offers the handkerchief to Clayton, even though his cheeks are very wet. 

“Might want to use it yourself first, Matty,” and he gently pushes his hand back, swiping at his own eyes with his sleeve; the laughs that bubble out of both of them are wet, but Clayton’s heart swells at the sound anyway, and he steps in closer when Genevieve twists in Matthew’s arms to reach one arm out to him, slides in and wraps his arms around them both.

“No kissing yet, we got the whole ceremony to get to before that,” Miriam warns from behind Matthew, but her voice sounds a little watery as well, and Clayton just smiles, kisses their daughter on the cheek before gently pulling away.

“You want to stay with us?” Matthew kisses her head as he asks, knocking the ribbon Arabella had so carefully tied slightly askew, but she doesn’t seem to mind too much when her quick nodding is already enough to send the curls scattering around her shoulders.

Matthew adjusts her onto one hip, reaches out for Clayton with his free arm, and Clayton takes his hand quickly, flushing a little when someone in the audience laughs, but it’s friendly and he’s safe and he doesn’t need to hide, here.

“Alright, gentlemen and lady, if we’re all ready to begin?” Clayton spares a moment to shoot a half-hearted glare at Aloysius, but their friend just grins impossibly bigger and winks at him.

“Yes, we’re ready,” Genevieve answers graciously for the three of them, and everyone laughs this time, their few family and friends gathered, and she hands her little bouquet to Miriam over Matthew’s shoulder before turning to blow Arabella a kiss over Clayton’s.

Matthew rubs his thumb over the cross tattooed on the back of Clayton’s hand through the whole ceremony, even when he’s crying through his vows enough that Genevieve has to take the handkerchief and dry off his cheeks for him, even when he starts crying again through Clayton’s vows, even when they’re exchanging the rings they designed together.

“By the power vested in me, for some reason or another,” and Clayton hears Miriam hisses ‘Mr. Fogg’ very warningly but is too distracted by Matthew’s laugh to care, “I now pronounce you husband and husband. Please, for the love of God, kiss each other so we can get to the party.”

Someone is laughing and someone is hitting Aloysius with their bouquet but Clayton doesn’t have the wherewithal to pay attention because Matthew is pulling him closer and leaning in and kissing him, sweet and slow, eyelashes a little damp where they brush Clayton’s cheek, and it makes his heart ache something fierce. He kisses his  _ husband  _ back just as soft, squeezes his fingers and wraps his free arm around Genevieve’s back as she squeals in their ears, and the sun is warm against his back and his daughter and  _ husband  _ are warm in his arms and there are warm tears pricking his eyes, and Clayton has never been more in love.

\--

Clayton had told Matthew to pick out the song for their first dance, and he laughs when he hears the first notes start, takes the hand offered to him and steps closer in the middle of the dance floor, presses a smiling kiss to his jaw as they start to slowly turn.

“Matty, you big sap,” but there’s no bite in his voice, only an overwhelming fondness that’s obvious even to his own ears, and Matthew just turns his head enough to press a kiss to his temple before starting to sing along, low and soft, just for him.

If Clayton presses his face against Matthew’s shoulder halfway through their dance to hide tears, well, he trusts his husband to lead him through the rest of the dance, and he trusts their friends not to say anything until at least tomorrow. Matthew kisses the side of his head as the song fades out, slowly stills them, and when Clayton finally raises his head he’s smiling like the sun.

“I’m the sap, huh?” It’s gentle, quiet, and Clayton can’t help the laugh that escapes him, can’t help but lean up and kiss his husband, just because he can, before he pulls away as mother-son dance is announced. He hugs Micah on his way past her, makes it all the way to the edge of the decidedly small dancefloor, already reaching out to take Genevieve from Katy’s arms when someone taps him on the shoulder.

He turns to find Miriam with an eyebrow raised and a hand held out, and a lump grows in his throat so quick that Clayton can’t say a word. Her face gentles, and she reaches for his hand, takes it when he lets her and steps back towards the dancefloor.

“Darling, you really thought we were going to let you sit this one out?” She smiles at him and squeezes his hand, and Clayton lets her lead him back out onto the dancefloor, makes eye contact with Matthew over his mother’s shoulder and almost starts crying at how relieved he looks.

“You’re not old enough to be my mother.” His voice is a little wet but he still makes a frame with his arm even as he says it, rests his other hand on Miriam’s back and lets her start leading them as she laughs and winks.

“No, I’m not, but I won in poker against both Arabella and Aloysius, so here I am.” Her smile softens as she says it, and she squeezes his hand again, and Clayton can feel the love pouring off of her in waves, ducks his head down to kiss her cheek and sighs shakily before straightening up again.

He looks over as they turn to see Genevieve still on Aly’s hip, waving at him and smiling wider than he’s ever seen, Arabella under Aloysius’s other arm and leaning into his side, and his friends look so fond that it hurts. Miriam squeezes his hand once more, and when Clayton looks back down to her she winks and starts to pull away.

“Song’s not over yet-”

“Mind if I cut in?” Micah’s voice is as warm as her hand on his sleeve, and Clayton lets out a shaky breath as he turns to see his mother-in-law smiling up at him with her other hand held out.

“I’d like that an awful lot.” He takes her hand carefully, a small part of him afraid she’s still going to pull away, but Micah steps in close and slides her other hand up to squeeze his shoulder, smile gentle as she falls into step with him. He watches Matthew spin Miriam under his arm before pulling her in, and he looks back down and swallows hard, lets his voice come out as soft as he’s feeling. “You didn’t have to, but thank you.”

“Oh, Clayton, honey,” and it’s all love, all warmth and kindness in her eyes and smile and voice, “you’re my son, too. Have been for years. Why on earth would I pass up on this dance?”

She’s kind enough not to say anything when he ducks down to rest his temple against hers, kind enough to just squeeze his shoulder when his breathing chokes up, kind enough to just hum along to the song and keeps dancing in a small circle with him until he’s regained his composure.

She kisses his cheek as he straightens back up, smiles up at him and pulls away as the song fades out, letting Matthew kiss her cheek as he slips past her to wrap an arm around Clayton.

“I won’t get in the way of this next one, but you better save another dance for me later.” She says it to both of them, a gentle command that only a mother can make, and Clayton laughs and leans into his husband’s side, nudges into the kiss that’s pressed to the top of his head, and watches her turn in time to catch her granddaughter up in a hug as she runs full speed onto the dancefloor.

“My turn my turn my turn!” Genevieve is bouncing up and down as she makes it to them, and Clayton spares a second to think that he needs to thank Bella later for braiding her hair, and then he’s crouching down and picking her up, spinning around to fall into Matthew’s arms as their song starts playing.

Matthew sings it to both of them, soft and quiet, and Genevieve joins in, lisping slightly and holding them close with her arms around their necks.

Clayton cries again, and so does Matthew, their heads pressed together as their daughter kisses their cheeks and smiles at them, and it’s perfect and everything he never thought he’d ever have, and Clayton promises himself that as long as he lives he’s never going to forget this day.

The ring on Matthew’s finger rests against the side of his neck and promises the same.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this!! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!
> 
> Title is from "I Choose You" by Sara Bareilles. I wrote this because redhoods on here (whose fics are fucking amazing) hit me with an au, and then some songs, and then I had an itchy writing hand and earworms to fuel me.
> 
> 1) Their first dance song is "I Don't Dance" by Lee Brice  
> 2) The mother-son dance song is "You'll Be In My Heart" by Phil Collins  
> 3) The father-daughter dance song is "Help Pour Out The Rain" by Buddy Jewell.
> 
> If you'd like to, you can come find me and talk to me on [tumblr](https://lovewithagirl.tumblr.com/) and [twitter!](https://twitter.com/daleytwin2/)


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